Buying Palestinian National Rights

Buying Palestinian National Rights
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Posted on January 20, 2008

Often Western officials and academics explain the enrolment of the young in militant organizations to social and economical reasons. They believe that since the heads of the familys are busy trying to put food on the table, that causes many young to develop psychological and social problems, which explains why many turn to violence and seek revenge from others, or turn to drug dealing and becoming members of criminal gangs that steal and kill. Therefore, they often concluded that improving the economic situation is the key to solving the problems of resorting to violence

As the Palestinian suffering has continued for decades, it has become increasingly difficult for Western politicians to address Palestinians rights, and often they focus on finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict without addressing the core issues (such as right of return, ethnic cleansing, dispossession, ..etc.).

Sometimes we hear Western officials talk about the suffering of the Palestinian people, and about the bad living conditions in the refugee camps, even sometimes we hear them talk about Palestinian human rights for those who live under Israeli occupation. However, you will rarely hear any of them talk about Palestinian national rights.

Since Palestinians are exhibiting this "violent" phenomena, the West have focused its energy on solving this conflict by improving the economic or living conditions for Palestinians in the occupied territories.

From the beginning, Israel decided to confront Palestinian resistance with an overwhelmingly violent reprisal, however, it did not succeed despite its destructive power. Resistance has increased in quantity and quality to a degree that it is currently scaring many Israelis.

Besides confronting Palestinian resistance, Israel and the Western Governments found it necessary to work also on the economic and financial fronts as well.

Taming The Palestinian People

The enemies of the Palestinian people resorted to two policies to defeat them: The first aimed to frustrate and depress them by physically defeating their will to resist, and the second policy aimed to entice them with financial gains, and leadership positions within their community.

I am not going to explain these policies in details, the reader

can link defeating the Palestinian resistance in Lebanon 1982,
the policies that ruined the first Intifada,
how Israel allowed the flow of money from outside, and
how alternate Palestinian leadership was created that does not advocate armed resistance.

The first phase aimed to find a financial solution to the Palestinian cause by encouraging Palestinian academics to open centers and organizations that believe in the economic solution to the Palestinian cause, and to show the "civilized" face of the Palestinian people.

In the early 1980s, silently and carefully there was a search for Palestinian academics who could support such a policy. At the beginning, the environment in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip was not yet suitable for such activities.

Some educated Palestinians surfaced who called for talking to the West in a language that they can understand, which was focused mainly on exposing the suffering of the Palestinian people and exposing Israeli atrocities against them.

In the 1980s, they did not speak against resistance, and they did not disclose their intention to recognize Israel, but they focused on

improving the economic conditions as the tool to help the occupied Palestinians, and

they focused their attention on establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

I was one of those who were approached to support this policy; even the American consul in Jerusalem offered his cooperation in this regards in 1983, and the Israelis offered to make me a Palestinian leader in 1989.

At the time, American and Israeli policies aimed to refocus the attention of the Palestinian people away from their Right of Return and from their right to self-determination, to establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian suffering in the occupied territories was used as the tool to

shrink Palestinian demands, and to
shrink the Palestinian people to a people who live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian suffering in the occupied territories was used as the tool to shrink Palestinian demands, and to shrink the Palestinian people to a people who live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In return, these Palestinian academics received many benefits from the Israeli occupation, such as traveling abroad, freedom of movement, lecturing abroad, attending conferences, and even financial support in some cases.

To be specific, I mention the Palestinian Media Center, which enjoyed a wide range of activities including financial support from the PLO without any objections or restrictions from the Israeli occupiers. The people who headed this media center were exposed as Palestinian leaders, and the occupiers even harassed them to enhance their political legitimacy among the Palestinian people.

Slowly since 1988, Palestinians started to accept what used to be forbidden, and they even crossed the red lines which they imposed upon themselves earlier. They

recognized the State of Israel,
recognized UN resolutions 242 & 338,
collaborated with the Israeli occupation on many security related issues, and even
they arrested many Palestinians for their resistance to the Israeli occupation.

The Policy of buying Palestinian Rights

After executing the policies of frustrating and financially enticing the Palestinian people, America and Israel turned to restricting Palestinians even more by controlling their sources of income directly or through the Western donor governments.

The goal was, and still is to make the Palestinian people a hostage to the loaf of bread they need to survive; which will turn them away from demanding their national rights and from resisting the Israeli occupation. In other words, the goal is to keep them busy just to survive from day to day, and not even think of their right of return or liberating Jerusalem.

These policies intensified after signing the Oslo Agreement and after the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). These policies are rooted on three primary principles:

America and Israel linked Palestinian financing to the Western donor countries. It should be noted that this financial assistance was linked to how much Palestinians implemented the signed agreements with Israel, especially regarding the security issues.

America and Israel were determined to exclude Arab countries from financing Palestinians directly (such as financing from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and UAE), and made sure this financial support comes from the Western donor countries in way that they totally control. It should be noted that some Arab countries provided some financial support, however, this support was provided as a donor country, and not from a sister country who has no security and normalization pre-conditions with Israel.

Therefore, PNA resorted to inflating the number of its employees, where it employed tens of thousands who provided no qualitative services to the Palestinian people.

Tens of thousands received official jobs, especially in PNA's security services, who had no real job but receiving their monthly salary at the end of the month.

The donor countries did not object to this unwise policy, and continued financing these salaries for years. It was clear that the real purpose behind this assistance was not to serve the Palestinian people, but rather to create a dependency relationship between the Palestinian employee and his salary, which comes from the donor Western countries at the end of the month.

Since the salaries were conditional on PNA's security cooperation with Israel, salaries were paid so long as resistance to Israeli ceased, and so long as negotiation with it continued.

It should be noted that salaries were not paid to PNA in a lump sum, but rather they were paid on a monthly basis and was conditional on PNA cracking down on groups linked to resisting the Israeli occupation.

The whole world saw how Palestinians allowed themselves to fall into this trap soon after Hamas won the election early 2006, especially when the donor countries cut paying the monthly salaries. Overnight, the Palestinian cause was converted to a cause for paying the salaries of employees who did not work to begin with!

For the salaries to return, Palestinian leaderships found themselves accepting American-Israeli dictation. Consequently, Americans and Israelis effectively control PNA's public policy.
Palestinian Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) mostly receive their funding from Western donor countries such as Italy, USA, Holland, Norway, France, ... etc. with the exception of a few who receive their funding locally or from Arab sources.

Some of these NGOs have normalized the relationship with Israel, and some did not and some even refused to denounce what the Americans calls "terror". Despite the discrepancies between these NGOs, the employees of these NGOs (who number in the tens of thousands) received their salaries from the Western donor countries, and they have no choice but to think about receiving that salary.

Stability for these people was critical to continuing the social and human projects they are working on, and any resistance to the Israeli occupation may jeopardize their projects.

In other words, these employees worked in an environment that is under the influence of the Western countries that aims to abolish any resistance to the Israeli occupation. It should be noted that some of those NGOs spoke against resisting the Israeli occupation, and their leaders openly normalized relationships with the Zionist enemy.

The employees in these NGOs found themselves in a difficult situation trying to balance between their Palestinian national rights and putting food on the table. Just by having the average Palestinian think in such a way, America and Israel have achieved one of their biggest objectives.
Paris Economical Conference in 1994 placed the Palestinian economy completely under Israeli control, which as a result made the Palestinian economy completely dependent on the Israeli economy. For example, no goods may enter the occupied territories without passing first through an Israeli businessman On top of that, Israel has the right to withhold and determine the levied taxes on all goods entering the occupied territories.

At will, Israel controls the Palestinian economy. Similarly, Israel withholds Palestinian taxes. All of this became clear to the whole world when Israel refused to give back the withheld taxes once Palestinians elected Hamas for office.

Moreover, the Paris Economical Conference connected the Palestinian economy to the world economy especially when it comes to the freedom of movement of goods, and to monitoring all financial transactions.

Consequently, Palestinians imported more at the expense of locally produced goods and services, and as a result Palestinian farmers, carpenters, craftsmen,... etc. became unemployed, and Israelis and Americans controlled the entry of all funds.

In the past, the average Palestinian used to manage his financial situation, however, all that changed after the Paris Economical Conference which controlled the flow of funds, and connected the Palestinian economy with the world's economic and financial systems.

Conclusion

Nowadays,, if anybody visits the West Bank, he will hear how the cost of living has sky rocketed, however, he hears little about the Israeli colonization policies, usurpation of Palestinian lands, arrests, and assassinations.

It is not fair to blame the average Palestinian.. Israeli and American policies were accepted by many in the Palestinian elite (especially among the academic class), which forced the average Palestinian to care about feeding his family at the expense of Palestinian national rights.

If the economical pressure on Palestinians continues, and the daily life in the West Bank continues to be connected with Western financial sources, then priorities for the average Palestinian will switch from national to personal. Instead of holding on to the right of return, the average Palestinian will become obsessed with holding on to his salary.

n a nutshell, the real goal is to buy Palestinian national rights at a fixed price, set according to Israeli and American dictation. Therefore, any talk about any "peaceful solutions" is meant only to gain time until they completely convert the Palestinian cause into a monthly salary cause. Ironically, this is exactly what Za'ev Jabotinsky advocated as early as 1923 in his famous Iron Wall article, he said:

Priorities for the average Palestinian will switch from national to personal.

Instead of holding on to right of return, the average Palestinian will become obsessed with holding on to his salary.

".... Settlement can thus develop under the protection of a force that is not dependent on the local population, behind an IRON WALL which they will be powerless to break down. ....a voluntary agreement is just not possible. As long as the Arabs preserve a gleam of hope that they will succeed in getting rid of us, nothing in the world can cause them to relinquish this hope, precisely because they are not a rubble but a living people. And a living people will be ready to yield on such fateful issues only when they give up all hope of getting rid of the Alien Settlers. Only then will extremist groups with their slogan 'No, never' lose their influence, and only then their influence be transferred to more moderate groups. And only then will the moderates offer suggestions for compromise. Then only will they begin bargaining with us on practical matters, such as guarantees against PUSHING THEM OUT, and equality of civil, and national rights."

Could this policy work at the end? There is no doubt about it that it is working now, however, not all the Palestinian people earn salaries, and not all the Palestinian people are willing to give up their national rights in return for the salary.

* This article was translated from Arabic which first appeared at AlJazeera.net. Click here to reach Dr. Qasim at his personal website.

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Posted by iman on May 11, 2008 #37624

plz God help ma pbl in palestine plz plz plz

Posted by D. Berry on March 21, 2008 #32313

Dear Dr. Qasim,

At my husbands request I tried to email to you on March 20th, 2 letters. Have you received them? Kindly let me know. Thanks in advance. D.B.

Posted by D. Berry on February 3, 2008 #28504

Dear Dr. Qasim,

Sorry, not at but dot info

Best regards,

Mrs.D.Berry

Posted by D. Berry on February 3, 2008 #28503

Dear Dr. Qasim,

Thank you to include our website history - Zionists in Moroccan History & the History of the True Noble Sharifian Rulers. However, NOBODY can reach our site the way you mentioned it. In order for everybody to reach and read it you must mention our address sharifian-history at info (new) plus make a link to our site + please try to publish our story as well.
With many many thanks,

Mrs. D. Berry

Posted by marabsz on January 24, 2008 #27827

In other words, Palestinians should not accept any aid in order to better their economic situation. It would be better that they suffer poverty, disease and illiteracy in order to hold on to their 'sacred right of return'.
Somehow, this does not fit with the fundamentals of human existence. You want the right to return, and if it is not given to you, then you will suffer (willingly), starve, and die, rather than stepping forward slowly, raising the standard of living, and easing the suffering of Palestinians in Ramallah and Azza, and building a nation with a stable government.
If it's all or nothing - you do not accept friendship and help in order to stand, independently, on your own feet, then why should the international community listen to your pleas? Why, if you reject their assistance, and their attempt to establish and independent Palestinian nation, should they vote to support your cause, when you reject anything that you deem a compromise?

Posted by Sonja Goldenstein on January 23, 2008 #27766

Thank you for providing to my email the article and information by Dr. Abdul Sattar Qasim. Thank you for keeping my email address and forwarding the documentation. I frequently read Al-Jazeera.net. I pray, "God Be With Us All In Our International Communities For Equal Rights."

Posted by redadare on January 23, 2008 #27750

John M Hovsepian makes a good point about the Arab countries rallying round. One reason they have never done that is the lobbying and buying power of the US.

However, I believe we are witnessing a change. First, Egypt, after using teargas on those trying to cross the border, just stood back and watched after the border came down. That MUST have been a considered decision and shuld shame the more powerful Arab countries into action.

Second, the US economy is in such a mess, that their finacial might will be waning and therefore their ability to bully countries into supporting the US position will be seriously weakened. Let's hope that their market falls further and for longer than ever before.

I hope, these two things together will be the turning point in the struggle for justice for Palestine. However, the power of the web is already proven in changing major corporation and government policies in the West. We should all be using it to lobby politicians at every opportunity.

Posted by Mostafa Sokkar on January 23, 2008 #27713

Thank you Dr.Qasim,
you wrote most of my thoughts, it is true that they are planning to do that, but our people will never allow them to do,they didn't know our great love to our land, we will never forget it, we will come back to it even after thousands of years.Best regards. to all.

Posted by D. Berry on January 23, 2008 #27689

Dear Madam, Dear Sir,

Thank you for your email which I will forward to my husband.
However, how did you get my email? All I now is, that for some years I have been trying to find some Arabic newspapers to publish our story which we now published ourselves on the web. Title: Zionists in Moroccan History & the History of the True Noble Sharifian Rulers.(not to be found on any search engines). Part I is about their tactics used and Part II is about our history.
Perhaps you might be interested in publishing .........?????

I look forwards to hear from you and remain,

Sincerely yours,

Mrs. D. Berry

Posted by Maha Al-Najjar on January 22, 2008 #27676

This was a wonderful article and I agree with it 100%. I think this is why we need a strong government.. not necessarily Hamas, but a government that knows how to say NO. The only problem is the fact that the People of Palestine will stop worrying about the Right of Return and concentrate on the Right to Eat and Live.

Posted by FOUAD KAMIL on January 22, 2008 #27670

I am a writer. a couple of months ago, I completed writing a book about the Palesinian tragedy and Western/Zionist colonial ambitians in the Middle East. The title of the book is,"Legalized Terrorism" I am now looking for publishers. Contact me if you have any interest.

Posted by محمد الحصان on January 22, 2008 #27667

The land is for sale even if some men and women have offered themselves for sale. The land is not a real estate, It is an identity that we will not surrender to Jews To Bush or China. We are coming back and tomorrow is just a sunrise away.

Posted by LanceThruster on January 22, 2008 #27661

Thank you for alerting me to this article. The Israeli war on the Palestinian people is indeed waged on many, many fronts.

Posted by Mike on January 22, 2008 #27643

may Allah bless you,my only comment
WAAAAAAAAAAAAA......................islamah

Posted by Howard Singer on January 22, 2008 #27639

Every year, more and more Israelis are native born and every year, more and more Palestinians are foreigners. The one glue which holds Israelis together is Palestinian hostility. Without Palestinian hostility, Israel would have flown apart at the seams and the Israeli natives would have junked the Law of Return. Therefore, ironically, it is Palestinian hostility which gives Israel its strength. And when Israeli history is written after most Jews have been ingathered in Israel (not Palestine) the Israelis will say to the Palestians "Thanks. We could not have done it without you."

Posted by Hadaidi on January 22, 2008 #27637

That is absolutly true .let us analyse what is hapenning now in sectore Gazza ,to get rid of Hamas ,they have been blocking all the sector 3 days so far.Who do help them to do that,unfortunatly some of us(palestenians)and most of arabic warld.this is a tragedy.Isn't?

Posted by Jaran on January 22, 2008 #27626

excellent article. however, anyone know where Arif Kanghar is? he used to live av Julis Village 24980. its importantent to me to find him.
Regards from Norway

Posted by John M. Hovsepian on January 22, 2008 #27625

As much as I agree with everything you say, I can find ONLY ONE solution for our dilemma.
Unless all the Arab countries unite completely with all their wealth and all their resources, nothing will ever happen.
At that time, an ultimatum would be issued to all the western supporters of the so-called israel, to stay out and not to interfere. Once that is done, we approach the jewish state and for the last time ask them to join us in establishing one democratic Palestine with joint Palestinian/jewish coalition government- one person one vote basis. For the first 25 years, jews who immigrated to Palestine from all over the world in the last 60 years, will not be allowed to cast a cote or elected to any governmental position.
The minor details can be worked out once the principle points are agreed upon.
Otherwise, no Palestinian will ever give up his/hers right to an inch of their country and the jews will never see a minute of peace as long as they are arrogant and evil!

Posted by Ghassan Marouf on January 22, 2008 #27623

Excellent article.
I really can't believe that anyone can sell his land and soul to the devil-Israel!
As long as we say NO, they will be afraid of us and we will return one day. But if we sell our rights and lands, we will loose everything, especially Allah؟s mercy.

Posted by MichaelPasha on January 22, 2008 #27621

Without Justice there can be No Peace.

What the Zionists (Who must NOT be confused with obedient Jews) have done to the Palestinian People is a huge Injustice. They will (and must) NEVER sleep peacefully in their beds, Until there is a JUST and EQUITABLE Solution to the decades of harsh treatment they have meted out to the Palestinians.

No Justice= NO PEACE!!!

Posted by Ibrahim Kanaan on January 22, 2008 #27607

Lots of people feel it, live it, wonder about it, and ask what is going on with the Palestinians,

Thanks to the writer who simplified it to the average.

Posted by British Catholic on January 22, 2008 #27583

A very informative article.
God Bless the Palestinian people, may they soon return to what is theirs.

Posted by Judith Stone on January 21, 2008 #27559

G/d bless your efforts. I hope that I will live to see Palestine restored to the indigenous people of the land. I am a Jew. We surely should have learned a lesson from our own experience of being treated like animals in Europe during World War II. For the same people to have turned around and done much the same to an indigenous people in their own land is unthinkable.

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